Cupcake Design Ideas

Piles of brightly colored frosting combined with moist cake, perfectly sized to eat with one hand. Cupcakes are treats that are not only delicious, but they are also cute and add a touch of creativity to any party. There are some really original ways to decorate cupcakes that will receive "oohs" and "ahhs" from you guests, even before they taste them. Add this to my Recipe Box. Make a batch of cupcakes that look like ice cream cones, complete with a swirl on top. A regular batch of cupcakes are mixed and baked. Once the cupcakes have cooled, set each cupcake in a regular ice cream cone and swirl bright colored frosting in layers on top of the cupcake, bringing it to a point at the top. Set a cherry on top or add sprinkles to finish the effect. Cheeseburger cupcakes are made using both chocolate and vanilla cupcakes. Once the cupcakes are made, the tops of each cupcake are cut off. 6 Turn off the heat of the oven. Crack open the oven door 1-inch, and let the cake cool in the oven, as the oven cools, for another hour. This gentle cooling will help prevent the cheesecake surface from cracking. 7 Cover the top of the cheesecake with foil, so that it doesn't actually touch the cheesecake. Chill in the refrigerator for a minimum of 4 hours, or overnight. 8 Place sour cream in a medium sized bowl, stir in the powdered sugar and vanilla, until smooth. Chill until you are ready to serve the cake. Note that this recipe produces enough sour cream topping for a thick topping and some extra to spoon over individual pieces of cheesecake, if desired. If you would like a thinner layer of topping and no extra, reduce the sour cream topping ingredients in half. 9 Place raspberries, sugar, and water in a small saucepan. Use a potato masher to mash the raspberries. Heat on medium, whisking, about 5 minutes, until the sauce begins to thicken. Remove from heat. Let cool. 10 Remove the cake from the refrigerator. Remove the foil from the sides of the pan, and place the cake on your cake serving dish. Run the side of a blunt knife between the edge of the cake and the pan. Dorie recommends, and we've done with success, that you use a hair dryer to heat the sides of the pan to make it easier to remove. Open the springform latch and gently open the pan and lift up the sides. Spread the top with the sour cream mixture. Serve plain or drizzled with raspberry sauce.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generously butter a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan; set aside. Whisk together the cake flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until combined after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Mix in vanilla. Add flour mixture in 2 batches, alternating with the buttermilk and beginning and ending with the flour. Set aside 1/3 of the batter. In a bowl, mix cocoa and 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons boiling water with a rubber spatula until smooth. Add the cocoa mixture to the reserved cake batter; stir until well combined. Spoon batters into the prepared pan in 2 layers, alternating spoonfuls of vanilla and chocolate to simulate a checkerboard. To create marbling, run a table knife (or wooden skewer) through the batters in a swirling motion. Bake, rotating the pan halfway through, until a cake tester comes out clean, 40 to 50 minutes. Transfer pan to a rack to cool 10 minutes. Turn out cake from pan and cool completely on the rack. Cake can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days.

Divide batter between cake pans, tap gently on benchtop to remove air bubbles, then bake for 45 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Cool in pans for 15 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely. For the chestnut cream, place 50g chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of gently simmering water (don’t let bowl touch water) and stir until melted. Remove from heat and cool slightly. Beat the chestnut puree with electric beaters for 4-5 minutes until creamy, then add the butter and icing sugar, and beat for a further 3-4 minutes until light and fluffy. Beat in the melted chocolate. To make the ganache, place remaining 100g chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Place the remaining 175ml cream in a small saucepan over medium-low heat and bring to just below boiling point, then pour over the chocolate. Stand for 4 minutes or until chocolate is melted, then add the remaining 25g butter and stir until smooth and glossy. Cool for 5 minutes or until slightly thickened. Line a work surface with foil (this makes it easier to clean up), then top with a wire wrack. Spread the chestnut cream over the top of one cake, leaving a 2cm border, then place the second cake on top, pressing down lightly. Place the cake on the wire rack, then pour over the ganache, allowing it to drizzle down the sides. If desired, spread ganache around sides with a spatula to cover completely. Allow ganache to set slightly, then serve.

Place the cakes on a wire rack to cool, in their pans, for about 10 minutes. Then invert the cakes onto a greased rack. Remove the parchment or wax paper and re-invert cakes so that tops are right side up. Cool completely before frosting. Confectioners Frosting: In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter until smooth and creamy. Beat in the vanilla extract. With the mixer on low speed, gradually beat in the sugar. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add about 2 tablespoons of the milk and beat to combine. Then, on high speed, beat frosting until it is light and fluffy (about 3-5 minutes). Add more milk or powdered sugar, as needed, to get the right spreading consistency. If desired, color the frosting with food color (I use the gel paste food coloring that is available at cake decorating stores and party stores). Assemble: Place one cake layer (bottom side facing up) on your serving plate and spread with about 3/4 cup (180 ml) of frosting. Place the other cake layer (bottom side facing up) on top of the frosting and cover the entire cake with the remaining frosting.

Distribute the icing evenly over your cake crumbs then mix it in. I use the back of my spoon for a smashing motion until the mixture binds together. This is what the mixture looks like after mixing with the back of the spoon. Use your scoop to get enough mixture for a well-rounded ball. Use your hand to round out the top of the mixture into the ball shape. This ensures your pops have a uniform size. Place the mixture into your clean hand. Tip: Clean your hands frequently and keep them lightly moistened with water. This helps to get a smooth exterior on the cake balls. Roll the ball between cupped hands applying firm and then gentle pressure. Do this until you are pleased with the shape of the cake ball. Continue until your mixture is done. Place the cake balls on your parchment-lined cookie sheet as you go. Add a pinch of salt if frosting is too sweet. Decorate the cooled cookie cake with frosting and remaining 1/4 cup chocolate chips. Depending how much frosting you use, you may have some leftover. I used a Wilton 1M tip. Cookie cake remains fresh covered tightly at room temperature for up to 3 days. I prefer room temperature eggs for my cookie cake. Room temperature eggs incorporate evenly into your cookie dough - guaranteeing a uniform texture in each bite of the cookie cake. Simply set out the eggs when you set out the butter to come to room temperature. If you forget to set out your eggs, no worries. Place them into a bowl of warm water for 5 minutes, then use. For the frosting, heavy cream or half-and-half will give your frostings the creamiest texture. You may use milk instead, keeping in mind the frostings won't be as creamy.

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